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Comcast Blocks Public Debate at FCC Hearing

February 26, 2008

Contact Info:

Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490, x22 or (703) 517-6273

WASHINGTON -- Comcast has admitted hiring people to fill up the limited number of seats at yesterday's Federal Communications Commission hearing at Harvard. More than 100 people were turned away when the event reached capacity. The public hearing was part of the federal agency's ongoing investigation into allegations that the cable giant is blocking consumers' access to legal Web traffic.

Timothy Karr, campaign director of SavetheInternet.com, issued the following statement:

"First, Comcast was caught blocking the Internet. Now it has been caught blocking the public from the debate. The only people cheering Comcast are those paid to do so. We didn’t have to pay anyone to attend the hearing. Comcast’s actions raise red flags for most people -- with good reason. Clearly, Comcast will resort to just about any underhanded tactic to stack the decks in its favor. And yet Comcast still expects us to trust them with the future of the Internet?"

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